Banked Frictionless Curve, and Flat Curve with Friction

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on calculating the radius of a banked turn for a car with a mass of 1200 kg traveling at 40.0 km/h on an icy road banked at an angle of 20.0 degrees. The user attempted to derive the radius using the formula r = v²/(F_N sin(θ)), but encountered issues with the normal force (F_N) not equating to the car's weight. The correct approach involves breaking down the normal force into its vertical and horizontal components to accurately account for centripetal acceleration and gravitational forces.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of centripetal force and acceleration
  • Knowledge of forces acting on an object in circular motion
  • Familiarity with trigonometric functions, particularly sine
  • Basic principles of dynamics and Newton's laws of motion
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the derivation of centripetal force in banked curves
  • Learn how to resolve forces into components in physics problems
  • Explore the effects of friction on banked turns in different scenarios
  • Investigate the role of gravitational force in circular motion
USEFUL FOR

Physics students, automotive engineers, and anyone interested in understanding the dynamics of vehicles navigating banked curves under varying friction conditions.

Digitalx04
Messages
4
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


A car of mass M = 1200 kg traveling at 40.0 km/hour enters a banked turn covered with ice. The road is banked at an angle theta, and there is no friction between the road and the car's tires.

What is the radius r of the turn if [tex]\theta[/tex] = 20.0 degrees (assuming the car continues in uniform circular motion around the turn)?


The Attempt at a Solution



I believe that [tex]F_{c}[/tex] = [tex]F_{N}[/tex] sin ([tex]\theta[/tex]) = m([tex]\frac{v^{2}}{r}[/tex])

Using this I solved for r, which is my missing variable and came up with:

r = [tex]\frac{v^{2}}{F_{N}sin\theta}[/tex]

Using this formula I get
r = [tex]\frac{11.1^{2}}{9.8 sin 20}[/tex]

but when I submitted this answer it told me the normal force is not equal to the weight of the car.

My questions are what is the [tex]F_{N}[/tex] value and am I missing another value in my equation?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Break down Fn into vertical and horizontal components. You already saw that the horizontal component provides the centripetal acceleration; what does the vertical component do?
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
4K
Replies
3
Views
1K
  • · Replies 20 ·
Replies
20
Views
3K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
8K
Replies
16
Views
3K
Replies
2
Views
862
  • · Replies 24 ·
Replies
24
Views
2K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
Replies
4
Views
3K
Replies
3
Views
2K